Programmed That Way
by Kurokoo
Summary: Kiku is a normal young man living in Tokyo, struggling to balance his job, and life as an otaku with a crappy computer, when a box shows up on his doorstep containing a robot by the name of Alfred. This strangely lifelike robot changes Kiku's life, and causes Kiku to wonder; what makes a person human? [[AmeriPan AU]]
1. Chapter 1

Kiku's fingers tapped on the keyboard at lightning-fast speed, glasses precariously set on the edge of his nose, yet he never dared to remove his fingers from the keyboard to fix them. The clock read 6 AM, and he vaguely wondered how bad his appearance was as he recalled not yet falling asleep. Still, his fingers clacked on, trying to finish one of the last few chapters of a fanfiction he had been working hard on.

Things were starting to wrap up in his story as the fans cried out for more on his blog. The main protagonist was finally getting over himself and realizing that what he truly wanted was to be with his boyfriend, yet his boyfriend was getting on a plane to go move halfway across the world with his uncle. Kiku was past seven thousand words at this point, in a part where the protagonist gets into a car accident on the way to the airport, but gets out and keeps running despite his injuries when-

_Word 2024 has stopped responding_

Wh-what?! No no no!

_Close the program?_

It was responding perfectly fine! How dare you stop working now?!

Still, the error box stayed up and had no signs of moving or recovering his unsaved work. With a shaking hand, he chose to close the program. Pulling the program back up, he found it hadn't recovered his work.

Now, under normal circumstances, Kiku may have reacted calmly by going to bed and treating himself to dango the next day, but that was seven thousand words and a night of work gone.

With an irritated screech, he slammed his chair back and stormed through the small apartment, knocking over three piles of manga on his way to the kitchen. Slamming cupboards and the fridge, he got himself a plate of sashimi and was just starting to stab at the raw fish with his chopsticks when there was a knock on his door.

His anger had partially deteriorated, but stayed evident as he put the plate down and strode over to the door, opening it. He was going to snap at whoever was there as though they had awoken him from his sleep, but stopped when he found himself in front of a towering box.

"Excuse me," said a delivery man, and Kiku got out of the way as the box was wheeled into his living room. "You're Honda Kiku, correct?"

"Ah…" Kiku's anger had disappeared to make way for curiosity. "Yes, that is me."

"I have a package from a Mr Wang Yao," The delivery man informed him. Of course it was from Kiku's brother. Only his brother would have the money enough for something this large. "Please sign here…"

After signing the paperwork and thanking the man softly, Kiku was left alone with the large box- crate rather. A note on the side was in his brother's handwriting.

_I heard you needed a new computer. Love gēge_

A computer? What computer was this big? And how was he supposed to open it?!

Kiku spent the next ten minutes struggling to get the thing open. He wasn't the strongest person in the world, and force didn't seem to help. Kiku was almost ready to give up and find a crowbar in the morning (or, afternoon, whenever he awoke), when he noticed his authentic katana sitting on the wall. It wasn't much use just sitting there, and it was made to fight opponents much more formidable than this wooden crate (though it was quite a formidable opponent to Kiku), so…

Within a few moments, he was hacking at the box somewhat clumsily, but stopped when he realized he could easily destroy something inside that way. So instead, he opted to pry open one side with the sword.

The side came falling down with a thud, and with it, a wave of packing peanuts.

Grumbling about how he'd have to clean it all up, Kiku set the sword back in its place, and carefully waded through the sea of white in order to get a good look at what it was.

Kiku froze when he saw a man. But not just any man. He was a very handsome man, standing tall and firm. His body was nicely toned and tanned (thankfully his… privates… were covered with boxers), and his face looked slightly youthful, with straight blonde locks parted to the side, except for one piece of hair that stuck almost straight up.

Kiku's face was a deep crimson as he took this all in, trying to understand why his brother had sent him a man in a box, when he noticed the lines going around this man's neck, down his torso, and around his arms and elbows and knees. His joints…. It was a robot.

Still, there was no denying Kiku felt embarrassed to be around such a handsome robot when Kiku himself was disheveled with his bloodshot eyes (from staring at the computer much too long) and messy hair and clothes.

Inching a bit closer, he now wondered how he would go about getting this robot out, when he noticed a tag wrapped around the robot's wrist, reading, "Hello! My name is Alfred!"

"Alfred?" Kiku asked curiously. It seemed to fit, somehow.

At his voice, there was a whirring, causing Kiku to stumble back in shock while the robot twitched and shifted, coming to life before the Japanese mans eyes.

The gentle hum of a motor played somewhere inside the robots body and his eyes, the most beautiful sky blue Kiku had ever seen, opened and shifted like a camera lens, until they locked on Kiku himself, who was somewhere between frightened and shocked.

When it stepped forwards, Kiku tried to step back, but instead found himself tripping over his coffee table. In a moment, Alfred was next to him, catching him before he could hit the ground.

Now holding Kiku in his arms, face a bit too close, a grin spread across Alfred's face.

"Hi there!" Alfred said in a slightly robotic voice, which was heavily accented in an American tone.

"H… hi…" Kiku responded, heart pounding and face again pure red. Something told him he wasn't going to get any sleep that night.

* * *

**A/N: This is only a sort of… introduction. The following chapters will be longer, I assure you. This idea is inspired heavily on Chobits, but please don't expect all the details to follow that story. Also, the name is one that I struggled with for a while, so I apologize for the strangeness of it. Anyways, this is a story I've wanted to start for a while, and though I had hoped to finish my other (Ruler of the Future) first, I couldn't help at least getting one chapter out. It may be a bit before I get to chapter two, or I may just dive into it. Who knows. Either way, I hope you enjoy! This is going to be a mix of fluff and sadness, but nothing sexual. I'm sorry, I'm not good at writing that! I'll update as soon as I can! Thank you for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: All right, so my first chapter seemed to get a pretty quick, positive response, so I decided I might as well keep going while the inspiration is fresh. Besides, my Japan Shimeji keeps sitting by the Word program. Sometimes I wonder…. Anyways, here's chapter 2!**

* * *

There was a long silence as Kiku waited for the robot to do something else. Yet, he stayed right there, holding him in an almost horizontal position, grin never faltering. His eyes were looking at Kiku's face, taking in his features in an almost curious, excited way.

"U… Um…" Kiku said, shifting in the strong hold. "Could you… let me go?"

"Oh!" Alfred actually seemed like he had gotten distracted. So lifelike… He straightened Kiku up and stepped back, grinning all the while and scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry 'bout that! I just got excited to see my new owner! You're my first, so I got a little distracted!"

"I see…." Kiku said slowly, taking a moment to dust off his clothes and gather himself. Whoever had created Alfred must have put a lot of time into his personality and actions. It was incredible how well he mirrored human quirks. "Um…. You're my first… robot… as well."

He guessed he said the right thing, for Alfred seemed to buzz with excitement, laughing a very loud, almost annoying laugh. "Then we're both learning, huh?"

"I guess so…" Kiku put his knuckle to his chin and regarded Alfred carefully. He would need to get better clothing than that… While Kiku didn't mind the view, it wasn't appropriate at all. Yet, Kiku was sure nothing in his closet would fit.

"Oh!" Alfred seemed to remember something. "Right. Introductions."

Kiku was about to ask what Alfred was saying, when Alfred suddenly went rigid and his eyes dimmed. When he spoke, it was so forced and planned, Kiku almost became concerned. He had to keep reminding himself that Alfred was, after all, a robot. It was all a part of his programming.

"Hello, I am Alfred, one of the hundreds of thousands of robots in the AI program at Kirkland Industries in the United Kingdom," Alfred said. "I have been programmed with my own personality and thought process. If at any time you decide you would like a different AI installed, you may contact the company through the email written on the back of my neck. You will then be asked to remove the chip via the console on my back, and send it to the company. The exchange of AI's is free of charge, other than shipping and handling."

Subtly, Kiku thought he saw Alfred's finger twitch and his face, at that time a neutral expression, shift into a slight frown as he said this.

"My purpose will be to learn from you and be a companion to you," Alfred continued. "I will take the time to learn your interests and study them. I also have the ability to be plugged in and used as a normal computer, as well as make calls, send text messages, access wifi, and many other functions. For a full list of my capabilities, please check your AI Handbook."

Handbook? Kiku realized he hadn't searched for one. Looking down at the packing peanuts, he began to shuffle through them, until his hand hit the cardboard surface of a hardcover book. When he picked it up, he grunted at the weight. It was likely bigger than any textbook Kiku had ever had. Setting it on the coffee table, he looked at it in silence. He'd probably skim through it later…

"At night, I will normally plug myself in to recharge, however, if under certain circumstances I am unable to recharge, there is a port at the back of my head allowing access to a wire and adapter which can plug into almost any outlet. At your command, I may also tap into my reserve power supply if I am needed for an emergency call or to be moved to an outlet. This supply will normally last an average of ten minutes.

"If there are any more questions, you may either consult the AI Handbook, or tell me to go into help mode. Have a nice day."

With that, Alfred's frame relaxed and his eyes brightened once more. His smile returned, but something was slightly different about it. Almost forced. Despite knowing he was a robot, Kiku had to speak up.

"Is something wrong?" Kiku asked. To his surprise, Alfred's smile faltered a bit, and he shifted on his feet, eyes tracing the room around them as he avoided Kiku's gaze. How could he possibly be so realistic?

"I um…" Alfred started, then looked down almost guiltily. "I was just wondering if you wanted a new AI chip?"

Alfred didn't look at Kiku, as the Japanese man started to understand. Though a robot, Alfred still seemed to be frightened that Kiku might want to get rid of him. That Kiku might not like him. Despite his hesitance and skepticism that this robot was truly feeling those feelings, Kiku took his hand reassuringly.

"No, I don't," Kiku said, feeling a bit awkward at comforting a robot. "You're a wonderful AI. I would never want to get rid of you."

Bursting into another grin, Alfred scooped him into a big hug, causing Kiku to tense.

"That makes me really happy!" Alfred said, swinging him around a bit.

"A-ah yes!" Kiku said, eyes wide. "B-but pl-please put m-me down!"

"Oh! Sorry!" Alfred said, putting Kiku down carefully. "Just got a bit excited is all!"

"I can see that…" Kiku murmured, fixing his clothes again. There was a long pause as Alfred looked expectantly at Kiku. Waiting for him to do something. "What?"

Alfred jumped at being called out on his staring, then chuckled sheepishly, shifting from foot to foot. "Sorry!" He apologized again. "I was just wondering what you wanted me to call you!"

"Huh?" Kiku seemed surprised, but it was understandable; he had yet to tell Alfred his name. "Um… Well I'm Honda Kiku… That's the Japanese formatting, so my first name is Kiku, and family name is Honda…" Alfred had probably already guessed that, but the blonde nodded anyways.

"All right!" Alfred said. "So what do you want to be called?"

"Um…" Kiku hadn't really thought about it, and tapped his chin in thought. Any Japanese honorifics would be customary, but… he doubted it would fit with the American accent. It never sounded natural. Plus, he wouldn't be able to decide how formal Alfred should be; should he be called Senpai? Or maybe Honda-Sama? Or just Honda-San?

"There are many options," Alfred said, filling the silence. "It can either be something informal, like a first name, or something very formal, like Master or Lord."

"N-no!" Kiku said quickly, face reddening again as many other fanfictions came to mind. Master and Lord were not terms Kiku would be comfortable with at all. "You can just call me Mr. Honda." It was strange to him, to use such titles as Mr when he was Japanese, but nothing else would quite fit, and he wasn't comfortable enough with this robot to be called simply Kiku. Besides, he was familiar enough with Western culture to know that it showed respect. His brother made a living in America, after all. He had visited several times and, while their social status was lacking the depth the Japanese had, Mr was something he had seen quite often for those of higher status.

"Got it, Mr. Honda!" Alfred said with his grin always present. It sounded right, and Kiku knew he had made the right choice with the name. "Now, what do you want to do first?"

"Um…" Sleep, Kiku thought. Yet, he wanted to test out a few things with Alfred first. To get somewhat used to him. His eyes trailed over to his old computer. "Well… I had been working on this story for a while, but the Word program stopped working… I don't know if you can recover it, but…"

"No problem!" Alfred said with a nod, happy to be doing something. "I can take care of that for you!"

Without hesitating, the man trotted over to the computer and plopped himself down in front of the tower. Reaching around to the back of his head, he opened a hatch and pulled out a cord with a usb connector, which he used to plug into the computer. A few moments of silence passed while the computers processed each other, then Alfred closed his eyes and Kiku's monitor came to life.

Things were shifted around as Alfred searched, finally finding the Word program and opening it. Kiku couldn't be sure of what he was doing, but before long, a loading bar came up. As something loaded, the paint program was pulled up and a picture started being drawn.

It was very crudely drawn, and Kiku wasn't sure at first what it was, but when it was finished, Kiku saw himself reflected back, as well as, in sloppy handwriting; _Hi Mr. Honda!_

A smile spread across Kiku's face despite himself, and he settled down to continue eating his sashimi, though glanced over every once in a while to see the screen drawing Alfred and Kiku together, and then superheroes that Kiku recognized as Spiderman, Batman, and, especially, Superman.

"You like superheroes?" Kiku asked, somewhat surprised. He knew Alfred had his own personality, but he didn't think Alfred had his own interests too.

"Yup!" Alfred said, eyes staying closed. "When I was built, I was allowed to spend time in the factory while I was waiting to be bought and shipped out. I discovered superheroes while searching through the internet, and I fell in love with them! I wish I could be one!"

"Robots have wishes?" Kiku asked before he could stop himself. He flinched as Alfred's smile faltered again, regretting his words immediately.

"Sort of…" Alfred's smile was a bit sad now. "I know that I feel like this is a wish, but it's just a part of my programming. Please don't feel like my wishes are anything to take seriously."

Kiku felt a pang of guilt hit his chest as he heard this. Alfred was a program, yes, but it was a program given the ability to understand it is a program. It was then Kiku decided to stop thinking of Alfred as only a robot. Alfred's feelings may have only been coding, but that coding made him hurt, just like Kiku's guilt did at that moment.

"Alfred-kun…" Kiku said softly, stepping over to him and sitting in front of him. Kun seemed like the appropriate honorific, he decided. "That was rude of me to say without thinking, and I apologize greatly. If you feel like you want to be a superhero, then you do, no matter if it's coding or a human brain function."

Alfred opened one eye slowly, then smiled softly. He didn't move, and Kiku guessed that he couldn't when he was working on Kiku's computer like that, but the smile was genuine.

"Thank you, Mr. Honda," Alfred said, having his worries put to rest by Kiku's words.

The loading bar finally filled, and Kiku found the document he had been working on staring back at him, all seven thousand words. Alfred removed himself from the computer and stood up, pulling the wire back into his head and closing the hatch.

"There we go!" He said, now back to being happy and excitable. "I reset the computer to just before the program crashed. I'd save it though, just in case the program crashes again. Either way, it's copied to the clipboard in case."

"Th-thank you, Alfred-kun!" Kiku said, quickly saving before the document could fail again "I was worried I would have to type it all again."

"It's no problem!" He said. "It was pretty easy!"

Kiku was going to thank him a few more times, when he noticed a sentence was different. Rewritten?

"Ah.." Kiku stopped. "This sentence wasn't like this? Did something happen when you were going back?"

Kiku began to worry he'd have to go through it all to fix any glitches that may have arisen, but Alfred actually seemed bashful at the mention of the changed sentence.

"W-well," Alfred said, grinning shyly, "I was going through it and I changed a few things here and there. Just where the wording didn't make much sense… I hope you don't mind!"

Kiku's face flushed scarlet. Did that mean Alfred had read it?! Oh dear, there were some parts that involved… Oh how embarrassing.

"I-I'm sorry!" Alfred said quickly, worried the redness meant Kiku was angry.

"N-no!" Kiku said, shaking his head. "It's fine! I just didn't expect… y-you to read it…."

"W-well I… I read a few sentences while I was loading it, and it was really good, so I ended up reading it all," Alfred shrugged. "I can change it all back if you want!"

"It's not that! I just don't know about that part… On the second page…"

"Oh!" Now Alfred seemed to be embarrassed himself. "I just… skimmed over that part…. I didn't really read much of it."

"O-of course. It's fine if you read it! I mean… I put it on the internet for others to read it so…"

There was a long silence after that, where the pair just stood there, looking anywhere but at each other.

"Well, my battery is running low," Alfred said quickly.

"Of course! I'm sure it must have been a… draining day for you," Kiku responded, happy for the excuse, even though he doubted Alfred's battery could have run out in that last hour or so. "I need to go to sleep anyways."

"Yeah, 'course! It's late… erh… early? So yeah…. I'll go find an outlet now."

Alfred hurried away, as Kiku pulled out his futon and turned off the light, crawling into it by the gray morning sun streaming through the windows. Still, he caught the blue light from Alfred's eyes shining onto the wall.

"Good ni-" Kiku started, but stopped himself, noticing the sun again. "Er…. Good morning, Alfred-kun."

Alfred laughed softly as he plugged himself in. "Good morning, Mr. Honda." Then Alfred faded into sleep mode, his eyes a dull green to show that he was, indeed, fully charged.

With a sigh and a look at Alfred's hunched position in the corner, Kiku gave into sleep as well.


	3. Chapter 3

"Mr. Honda!" A voice whispered in Kiku's ear.

Kiku groaned and rolled over. It was much too early for this…

"Mr. Honda," the voice whispered again. "Where's your fire extinguisher?"

"My wha….?" Kiku mumbled, opening one eye slowly, before both snapped open. Oh god something was burning. "What?!"

Kiku sat bolt upright and looked around. No fire in the living room but… there appeared to be dark clouds coming from the kitchen. Above him crouched a very handsome stranger- wait, no, this was Alfred, his robot. Memories of the time before he went to sleep flooded back to him. He groaned again.

"I, uh… tried to make break-" Alfred glanced at the clock, which now read 1 PM. "Well, lunch? Anyways, do you have a fire extinguisher?"

"Dear God…." Kiku mumbled, and pulled himself up, stumbling to the kitchen, still half-asleep. A skillet on the stove was spewing out orange and red flames, causing the Japanese man to jump back, now fully awake. "Dear God!"

Scrambling for the fire extinguisher under the sink, he began spraying the fire rather furiously, even after the fire had disappeared, a somewhat panicked look on his face and his teeth gritted firmly in his mouth.

After a few minutes, he finally stopped, putting the fire extinguisher down and leaning against the counter, rubbing his eyes. That was… an eventful way to start the morning.

"Sorry…" Came the quiet voice of Alfred from behind the doorway. Glancing up, Kiku saw the robot halfway hidden by the door frame, looking rather dejected. There was no way Kiku could get upset at him…

"It's… fine," Kiku said, straightening and stretching out his back. "We can simply go out for food. Though…" He looked at Alfred, again noting that the man was in only boxers. "We must get you some more… appropriate clothing…"

"Huh?" Alfred glanced down at himself, now noticing that he was only in boxers. If the robot could have blushed, he probably would have. "O-oh… Y-yeah… that's…. probably a good idea…"

Disposing of what Kiku guessed was eggs, and rubbing his eyes again, Kiku walked back into his living room and searched through his clothes in his closet. Too small… too small…

He finally came upon a robe that was several sizes big. It was supposed to be a one-size-fits-all robe, but it was still too big for Kiku. It was somewhat odd for an outing, but it was all Alfred could wear to the clothing store, and when the man put it on, it fit well enough.

Grabbing his own clothes, he went to take his shirt off, when he remembered Alfred. He froze and glanced over his shoulder. Alfred stared back at him with oblivious innocence that he was preparing to watch Kiku change.

"Could you… wait for me outside?" He asked quietly. Alfred seemed confused at why Kiku wanted to be alone, but voiced no complaint as he stepped outside.

Kiku dressed himself carefully. Despite what he acted like on the outside, he was very self-conscious of the way he looked and dressed. He always struggled to find what made him look nice, but not stand out and seem self-centered. It took him a while, but he finally settled on a simple shirt, dress pants, and a warm jacket (The leaves were turning orange and already the fall chill was sweeping over Japan).

Stepping outside, he was surprised to see Alfred waving to someone, though when Kiku looked, the person was already gone. He caught only the glimpse of a dirty-blonde head of some child disappearing around the corner.

"Who was that?" he asked in confusion, looking at Alfred and leading the way to the elevator in his apartment complex.

"I don't know," Alfred admitted, hands in the oversized pockets of the robe. "It was a child. He was waving this little gun around saying 'Come with me! You're my prisoner! You gotta come with me!', and I wanted to play along, but I told him I was waiting for you."

"You could have played a little, Alfred-kun…" Kiku said softly. He couldn't help but feel a bit of guilt at ruining some child's fun.

"Well if I wasn't there when you came you would've been confused!" Alfred argued, before shrugging. "Anyways, he got all nervous after that. I bet he's not used to being told no. He was shaking like a leaf. Maybe he has a condition?"

"Maybe…" Kiku agreed, though couldn't help but find the child strange. With dirty-blonde hair, he was sure to stand out as a foreigner, yet Kiku couldn't recall seeing any foreign couples living in that building; let alone a child.

Deciding his lack of knowledge of his neighbors was a result of his desire to stay inside long periods of time, he put it out of his mind.

Still, he had the oddest notion that he was being watched all the way to the clothing store.

* * *

Sitting outside the changing room, Kiku tried his best to look normal, but people had noticed the strange man coming in with the small Japanese. Personal Robots weren't something unknown; after all, when Kirkland Industries came out with them for the first time, it was world-wide news. They were incredibly expensive, but it was such a rare idea. So far, no company came close to repeating it, and Arthur Kirkland himself assured that the secret was kept safe.

Still, they were incredibly hard to tell from normal people sometimes. Alfred's eyes glowed with a faint blue light, but during the day, it was hard to tell, and with the large robe on, Alfred's joints were all but hidden. That left Kiku in an awkward position, so he would explain quietly to anyone they stopped next to that cast him a curious glance.

"This is my personal robot," he'd say quietly, causing their curious looks to change to ones of shock and awe.

Alfred seemed to enjoy the attention, too. When he heard Kiku explain at a crossing light or on the subway, he'd look at the people who were suddenly taken with the idea they were standing next to a true Kirkland Robot, and flash a _very _well-practiced smile. Kiku actually blushed every time, and was glad that Alfred and whomever he had told were too preoccupied to notice. He almost wanted to tell Alfred how much he looked like a hero with that smile on.

Across the street, in a coffee shop, his deep brown eyes met with the green ones of a bespectacled man at the coffee shop across the street, snapping Kiku out of his thoughts. His hair was straight, and his fingers typed furiously on the keyboard of his laptop, but when they connected eyes, his fingers froze.

Kiku had hoped it was simply coincidence, but one rarely makes true eye contact with someone else through the glass of a store window and across a busy street. The fact that the eye contact, proving Kiku knew the man was there, threw the man off so much that he had stopped all he was doing in an attempt to sip his coffee and "act natural", wasn't helping Kiku's hopes. Something was certainly not right.

Starting to stand slowly, wondering if he should get a better view, the changing room door opened.

He glanced once at Alfred, back at the now-abandoned table of the coffee shop, and quickly back to Alfred, the odd moment now completely out of Kiku's mind.

Alfred's shirt was a deep blue, like his eyes, that dipped down to expose his collar bone and some of the skin beneath, while his jacket was a nice light grey hoodie, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, exposing the darker underside. His pants were black jeans, while his shoes were some simple white and blue high-top sneakers, the laces untied (which Kiku would scold him on later).

He put his hands in his pockets and swayed from heel to toe, looking nervously at Kiku for his reaction.

"Well?" he asked. "How do I look?"

"You…" Kiku started, trying to find his voice. "You look… Well… I mean, good… And… yes, that will do… I mean, you look… nice… Not that I'm suggesting you look exceptionally nice- I mean, you do! But not in any way that may suggest…." Kiku trailed off, his face as red as a tomato at this point. "You look nice."

"Thank you?" Alfred said, grin plastered on his face, but it wasn't in a rude way, but rather a sort of endearing way. "Then let's get some other clothes and go!"

"Yes…" Kiku said, but couldn't help finding himself staring at Alfred when Alfred wasn't looking. It stayed like that the entire time they shopped at that store, and admittedly, several times after as well.

When they had bought several outfits, and some pajamas upon Alfred's shy request (despite he didn't even sleep in a bed), they walked out, Alfred carrying most of the bags.

"Now what?" Alfred asked curiously, clearly hoping for their day together to continue.

"Well…" Kiku said, looking at his watch. It was around 2 now…"We have time… and I'm a bit hungry, so we can get some food and visit the Shinjuku Gyoen to eat it?"

"The what?" Alfred asked, and Kiku paused. Of course… Alfred hadn't seen the Shinjuku Gardens before…

"It's a beautiful, large garden," he said. "You would need a whole day to explore every bit of it, but it's certainly a great place… I think you'll enjoy it."

Making a quick turn in their path, they instead found the Subway heading to that part of the large city, stopping by a small restaurant and getting some food to go (Kiku got teriyaki chicken on rice, as well as a reminder that Alfred was a robot and didn't need food), and headed along down a rather wide sidewalk. Down this street, the amount of trees on the right side became more and more abundant, until the gates came into view.

The gates were rather disappointing, and Kiku could feel Alfred start to tense a bit as he quickly lowered his expectations. They were old and had a deserted sort of feel to them, with a rusty coin booth where Kiku inserted 400 yen (he didn't bother fighting with the machine that Alfred was a robot, and therefore didn't need a ticket), and got his ticket and admission into the park.

The initial path led through a nice, forest-like area, as though on a nature preserve, and Alfred started to enjoy the tall trees and the fresh air (could Alfred enjoy the fresh air?).

It wasn't until they finally got through the maze of trees and to the beautiful center pond that Alfred fully understood why they had gone there.

The pond rippled softly, as the little islands covered in flowers and greenery of all sorts dotted its surface. A cherry blossom tree leaned over and tickled the water from behind a low fence that barely passed as a fence at all. The white, stone bridges went from island to island, allowing a path over the body of water, while little frogs jumped in from the rocky shores of the island, preferring to find their own way across. Over the distance, trees could be seen in colors of green, pink, and especially for the season of fall, oranges and reds. Alfred was rendered speechless.

With a soft smile, Kiku took Alfred's arm to guide him over the old-style bridges and to a small, shaded spot beneath a somewhat low (but not too low that they couldn't walk under it) tree, whose branches and leaves fanned out instead of up, as though providing an umbrella for them, and that was just what they used it for.

Finding a nice spot off the cobblestone path, Kiku ate his food with his chopsticks in silence, finding no reason to disrupt the beautiful scenery. He could see people walk by, mostly couples and the elderly, but there seemed to be serenity to this place as the frogs croaked and splashed, and the koi swam beneath the deep green-blue of the water. Birds sang many different songs somewhere in the distance, and he could smell, surprisingly not flowers, but simply life. The flowers were not bred to be potent, they were bred to live and grow as flowers in their completely natural beauty.

"This is… amazing…" Alfred whispered. Looking over at him, Kiku was surprised to find Alfred wiping at completely real tears in his eyes. "I never thought I'd see something like this… I figured the pictures I looked up in my head were as great, if not better, to the real thing… I can't…"

"Are you okay?" Kiku asked, completely concerned as he leaned closer to him.

"I'm fine!" He assured quickly, waving a hand. "The tears aren't anything to worry about. It's not like I'm malfunctioning and leaking or something. It's just so… beautiful!"

"It is…" Kiku whispered, but didn't take his eyes from Alfred. He was surprisingly close to the robot, and the unbalance in his leaning was causing him to tilt even closer.

Kiku's lips were getting closer and closer to Alfred's soft, slightly trembling pink ones. Their eyes were locked tightly together. Everything seemed still.

But then, Alfred broke the gaze and looked away, as Kiku fell forwards and his face instead connected with Alfred's chest. There was a dead silence as Kiku found himself pressed against Alfred's chest. He briefly caught the sound of a motor whirring inside, before Kiku pulled back and bowed deeply.

"I-I'm very sorry, Alfred-kun!" Kiku stuttered, not looking up at the other, who was just as uncomfortable and embarrassed. "That was… wrong of me…"

"N-no!" Alfred said quickly. "It was an accident!" Alfred was giving Kiku a chance to pretend their near-kiss didn't happen. To Kiku's surprise, Alfred, who seemed very open and forwards, was holding back something.

"Y-yes…" Kiku said, grateful, but unable to hide from himself the deep disappointment. "An accident…"

Finishing the meal in silence, Kiku was forced to hold onto the box until they exited the gardens, for the lack of trashcans there. Quite the silence filled the air on the entire way back to the subway, and the apartment, Kiku preoccupied himself with noting everything around him while on their walk down the street, towards home.

From the tall buildings, to the bright lights as the sun set and darkness fell, to the children laughing as they passed, and that blonde, bespectacled man again.

Whipping around to take a second look, Kiku for a moment couldn't believe he would see that man again. However, he guessed it must have only been his imagination; in the spot where he believed the man had been stood another, shorter man with brown, slightly long wavy hair, and a peaceful disposition. Strange…

Still, the silence stayed all through the rest of that night; to the forced conversations, to the silence while Kiku put on anime, to the awkward "good nights" while Kiku slid into his futon and Alfred, who had changed into his pajama's just for the sake of sitting in the corner and charging, did just that.

His life was certainly becoming stranger and stranger…

* * *

**A/N: Story time! So a few months ago I actually got the privilege of going to Japan! The Shinjuku gardens is a place I've actually gone to~ And let me tell you; if you ever find yourself in Tokyo, Japan, you NEED TO GO THERE!**

**So I was in South Korea for my brother's wedding (he married a nice Korean lady that was his tour guide when he was living in Australia, but visiting Korea. He dated her for three days, she took a chance in following him to Australia, one thing led to another, now they're married). And since we were there, and my dad knew I loved Japan, we took a second week to our trip and went to Japan. To sum up that leg of our trip in one word; surprising. **

**To explain without explaining, I had received some bad news that was going to cause a two day shortage of our Japan trip. It kinda bummed us out, and it felt at that point like the trip was over. Plus, without a tour guide who knew about the area and culture, as well as our language, we were on our own (and we were on our second week so it was starting to get overwhelming)**

**We went to Hiroshima before we got the news (and visited the museum for the bombings in WW2. It was horrible and emotional, but eye-opening nonetheless…), then were in Kyoto, which was after we got the news. We were feeling pretty disappointed, but I wanted to visit an authentic Japanese shrine, so I convinced my dad to go to one down the street of our hostel. He was expecting the same ones we saw everywhere in that city, I was expecting one of those larger ones with the bells that you ring and clap your hands for (which we did see there). However, let's just say that my expectations, and his expectations put together, weren't even 1/10****th**** of what we got the privilege of seeing. I don't want to spoil much more because that scenery is gonna show up later in the fanfiction. **

**Anyways, we were feeling better, but not quite as happy as we could have been when we got to Tokyo; especially when we found out that the Ghibli Museum was closed for the month we were there. (Before I continue, I'd like to say that while in the Tokyo Train Station, we were having trouble getting money from the ATM but this kind man who owned a fancy Italian restaurant called the Acorn, not only offered to give us 4,000 yen (which we refused and instead traded 2,000 for 20$) but ALSO gave us a free meal, fancy cookies, fine wine, and some scented sticks for, literally, no reason other than he was an awesome man. He was just like "hey is this your bag? Here's 4,000 yen and have some food at this fancy restaurant I own, free of charge". Okay, maybe not quite like that, but it's pretty much the summary. Even when we got to the hotel we were still shaking our heads about it. Hell, I was terrified in there thinking he was a drunken man under some delusion that he owned the place and we were going to get charged on the way out).**

**ANYWAYS, so we were sitting there, really bummed that it wasn't turning out like we hoped, when I googled stuff to do in Tokyo, Japan, and ran across the gardens. We walked down the street, got lunch at a nice place, I believe firmly that I saw Hayao Miyazaki outside it (I saw him standing there smoking and talking with this fancy guy in a business suit. When I saw him, I thought he looked familiar (and even thought jokingly "that looks like Miyazaki"), but I hadn't really seen Miyazaki's picture so I didn't realize until I got home and saw it and recognized those glasses). **

**The entrance looked just as I described it in the fanfic, with it being old and disappointing, and again we had lowered expectations. Until we got IN the gardens and were like "HOLY CRAP CAN WE LIVE HERE?!"**

**EVERYTHING was beautiful! It had English style gardens and French style gardens and Chinese buildings and Japanese gardens (which are the best in my opinion) and I got to try some authentic green tea with some Canadians in an actual tea ceremony, and I decided that green tea tastes like liquefied grass but damn was the ceremony cool!**

**Long story short; Japan is awesome and went beyond my expectations because Japan's cool like that. Yeah. Also it's almost 10 AM, I haven't slept since 2 PM yesterday, but I got random inspiration so I'm going to sleep now. **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I've been scratching my head at this update notice for a while now. Has it truly been a year since I last updated this? If so, I'm incredibly sorry, though I'm determined to get back into writing now that school is out! So, Chapter 4! Things start taking a turn for the more serious here, and true conflict arises (as I can't simply make everything fluff, now can I?) Enjoy~**

Days with Alfred started to become strangely normal. When Kiku's few days off ended, he started going to work once more. As Alfred was, technically, a computer, Kiku was granted permission to bring him into work. This happened exactly once, as Alfred was required to block all functions that weren't work appropriate, a setting he did have installed. This left the normally bright robot incredibly still and emotionless until the work day was over. Even Kiku's co-workers, who had been happy to greet Alfred when he first arrived as a change of pace (both in their work environment, and in their limited interactions with Kiku himself), were shocked to see such a vibrant character so lifeless, and no one complained when Alfred's first time as an office computer was his last.

Still, Alfred was a quick favorite in Kiku's office building, and the reason that many of his co-workers started talking to Kiku on a daily basis. Yet, while at any other time Kiku would quickly become reclusive at such frequent conversations, Kiku seemed to enjoy talking about Alfred and his many quirks.

As Alfred got used to the city, Kiku allowed him to go out on his own at times. He still preferred to be with the robot, but during his lunch break Alfred would arrive to bring him food (and say hello to the co-workers), and having a robot able to do the shopping made Kiku's life just that much easier.

Yes, Kiku's life was just getting brighter with every day Alfred was with him. His co-workers commented several times on how his stoic disposition had softened a touch, and Yao, Kiku's older brother, had been incredibly pleased when he and Kiku spoke in a video call and he had seen that Kiku was much less pale and thin and exhausted. He struggled to understand Kiku's explanation of how Alfred was less of a machine and more a friend (as Yao often struggled to understand any emotional connection to things that were "fake", such as movies and comic books), but the man seemed happy nonetheless, insisting on visiting in a few weeks to see him.

There were small, strange occurrences in Kiku's life, however, that added to a sense of mystery around Alfred. For example, one day Kiku came into the living room, buttoning his dress shirt, when he found Alfred seemingly talking to himself with his eyes closed, though in English, which Kiku struggled to understand, despite how he liked to consider himself a fluent speaker of English. He was smiling, as usual, and nodding his head, giving small "Mmhmm's" to some unknown person.

When Alfred started to speak, Kiku was incredibly lost in the flurry of quick, excited words. He could pick up little traces of a sentence, such as how happy Alfred was, how Japan was a nice place. Alfred spoke often of Kiku, and he picked up a few positive words, but Alfred was simply speaking too fast to make any sense of it.

The conversation with… someone… was very short lived, and soon Alfred was saying "Good bye" and "good luck", before the conversation was over and Alfred opened his eyes, standing to get ready for the day. It took him only a moment longer before he saw Kiku, freezing in surprise.

"Who were you talking to, Alfred-kun?" Kiku asked curiously, finishing the buttons on his shirt and slipping on his jacket, gauging Alfred's reaction carefully.

"Uh…." Alfred stuttered, looking around the room. Something told Kiku that, if he truly wanted, he could get the true identity of this mystery person out of Alfred. He had found multiple times that, after initial hesitation, Alfred truly could never say no to Kiku's request for answers, and could never lie to the man. Something about this fact bothered him every time.

"Hmm, it doesn't sound like someone I know, so the answer doesn't really matter then, I suppose," Kiku said softly, watching Alfred's frame relax out of the corner of his eye. Alfred had his own secrets, that much Kiku knew, and while he knew others, like his brother, would find his choice strange, Kiku wanted to give Alfred the freedom to keep those secrets, just as he had the freedom to keep his own.

That didn't stop him from wondering about the oddities that entered his life with Alfred. For example, the two men, the bespectacled blond and the green-eyed brunet, appeared multiple times since that first day with Alfred. The times he saw them were always brief and sudden, they were always staring at him from a distance, and they were always gone the second his gaze returned to them.

Once, he attempted to approach where he had last seen the brunet, getting within a few meters of where he had disappeared, when a young, dirty-blond haired boy interrupted him, speaking a language that Kiku couldn't guess if he wanted to. After a few minutes of failed communication, the boy seemed to get flustered and disappeared with the crowd once more.

These occurrences were simple and small, being more curious than worrisome, when, on a simple weekend off of work, Alfred's strangeness became even more dangerous.

His smile and focus had been in and out since the morning, yet when Kiku asked, he was given an unsatisfactory answer of "I'm fine, don't worry", no matter how often the question was asked. Kiku had finally given up after about fifteen times of asking, deciding to read some manga and allow Alfred to work out his strange problem on his own. Still, his eyes kept drifting from the page and over to Alfred, who sat alone on the floor near the corner of the room. It was dark enough to see Alfred's glowing eyes go from bright to dim and back again, and as the glow got dimmer, Alfred's head would hang forwards, before straightening again as the light brightened again.

Kiku's worry built more and more while he watch the robot's fingers twitch and back stiffen. Once, he straightened, like he meant to get up, as the color of his eyes changed to a deep violet, before shaking his head and returning to his dimming and brightening.

Something was obviously incredibly wrong with Alfred, and when the robot's eyes dimmed and didn't brighten as he fell forwards onto the hard wooden ground of Kiku's apartment, Kiku had to put the manga down and approach his still form.

"Alfred-kun…?" He said meekly to the still robot. The sound of Alfred's motors could be heard even without getting too close, suggesting that there was something causing it to overwork, yet Alfred didn't so much as twitch at his name.

Getting on his knees next to the stiff form, Kiku studied Alfred's emotionless face, reaching closer to touch his cheek in hopes the touch would return him to normal, when Alfred's hand shot forwards and clutched tightly to Kiku's upper arm.

He winced harshly, feeling the motors in Alfred's hand tighten more and more, likely leaving deep bruises in the man's flesh, while Alfred himself stiffly stood, eyes the same violet as they were before, keeping trained on something far ahead.

"A-Alfred-kun!" Kiku said, attempting to make his shaking voice firm and authoritative, but when Alfred's eyes locked on Kiku's face with such a cold, lifeless expression, Kiku could do little more than shrink back away from him. After a pause, Alfred seemed to get the sudden urge to leave, shoving Kiku harshly away and turning to the door.

Narrowly avoiding hitting his head on the coffee table, Kiku scrambled to his feet and stumbled after Alfred, calling his name and clutching to the robot's arm, yet he was unstoppable in his trek to the door. With little else he could do, he threw himself in front of the door, arms blocking the robot's path.

"Alfred-kun, stop right now!" Kiku said firmly, giving the first true order he had ever given the robot. There was a pause, and a brief moment where Alfred looked like he was about to say something, before his hands shot out and he clutched Kiku by the wrists. Kiku cringed slightly as Alfred's iron grasp threatened to snap his arm in two, but stood his ground firmly. "Alfred-kun, you are stronger than whatever is making you act this way. You must stop it!"

Alfred paused, his eyes staring at Kiku with the coldness of a statue, before his grasp switched to Kiku's upper arm and just above his knee, having the young Japanese man in the air in seconds. As Kiku pushed against the man's firm grasp, Alfred stood poised to slam him down against the hard floor. Kiku didn't dare image the damage the impact would cause as he braced for impact, but instead of following through with his obvious plan, Alfred froze. Kiku heard the motors get louder and louder, and could feel the gears twitching under Alfred's skin. The moment felt as though it lasted forever, and then the sound stopped and both Alfred and Kiku toppled to the floor.

Kiku's head smacked against the wood, and he lay dazed for a few moments, attempting to understand what had happened. It was a long while before he finally lifted his head to look at Alfred. If he didn't know Alfred was a robot, he might assume he was dead by his opened eyes and still body. He reached over and touched his shoulder, but he was motionless. What the hell was that…?

Touching the lump forming on the back of his head, Kiku stood slowly and shuffled through the books on his shelf, pulling the giant AI handbook off and flipping through the index. Maintenance, functions, schedules… issues! Skimming the pages for anything on strange behavior, he found very little that matched what had just happened, yet he did find a 24 hour phone number in case of emergencies, and without a moment's hesitation, his phone was in his hand and he was listening to the phone ring in his ear as he stared at Alfred's stiff body on the floor, hand gently holding onto the place where finger-like bruises were forming.

* * *

"It shut itself down!" A bespectacled man sputtered, choking briefly on his coffee as he stared at the screen which stated "connection has been lost".

"It did what?!" A brunet asked, leaning over the table to see. The blond man turned the laptop around to show his companion, who studied it closely. "Could it be the reception? A malfunction on our part?"

"No," the other said, "our connection is perfect, see?" He pulled up the bars to demonstrate. Indeed, their connection couldn't be better. "There were no glitches, no problems. It took a while to hack into the program, but there were no faults! The program simply…. Shut itself off."

"Could it be something to do with defense?" A smaller boy piped up, returning to the table at the coffee shop with a small hot chocolate which trembled in his shaking hands.

"No, I shut down all automatic functions." He shifted the glasses a bit, as though the angle could change the message on the screen. "Anything that was in place to shut down during an emergency wouldn't have been functional. This was something else."

"Maybe Alfred did it?" The boy offered, sipping his drink, but stopping when his two accomplices stared at him, dumbfounded. "The…. The robot?"

"You're suggesting the robot consciously turned itself off?" The other blond said, as though the boy were daft. "You realize how impossible that is."

"Well, Kirkland robots are known to defy the impossible," the green-eyed man offered. His companions thought on this for a moment, before the oldest sighed and closed his laptop.

"No matter, this is clearly a problem, and one thing's for certain; Mr. Braginsky will not be happy…" A shudder ran through the trio, and they all held in their breath, none jumping at the opportunity to stand face what awaited them.

* * *

Kiku's hand clutched his knee as he listened closely. After going through a maze of questions through an automated system, he was finally being connected to a real person. That, including the time he had been on hold, was adding up to about half an hour on the phone, but this mattered little as he kept glancing to the silent and stiff robot that had yet to move from it's place on the floor.

"Hello, welcome to the Kirkland Industries help line, my name is Kaylyn and I'll be taking care of you this afternoon, how may I help you?" A British voice on the other end said in English, though it was slow and clear enough that he caught it and its meaning.

"Hello," Kiku said in his thick accent, "my name is Honda Kiku and I received a robot a few weeks ago. This morning he was acting strangely, and, well, something happened about thirty minutes ago. He attempted to leave, and when I stopped him he…." Kiku paused. He wondered if he should admit to how Alfred had nearly injured him, or done more than the bruises he had already inflicted. Thankfully, she continued before he was forced to explain, likely catching his reluctance.

"What is the PR's serial number?" She asked, and Kiku could hear the constant tapping of the keys on some unseen computer.

"Serial number?" Kiku asked in a confused manner, glancing down at the handbook as though it had the answers.

"The series of numbers on your PR's back," she clarified. Kiku stood, stepping closer to Alfred's lifeless body. He briefly shuddered at the cold feeling of Alfred's skin, but reminded himself that Alfred was normally colder, and that he wasn't truly dead, nor was he really alive. For a moment, he wondered the truth of that, but the sound of clacking on the other end of the line prompted him to put all philosophical debates to the side. Blushing a bit, he carefully lifted Alfred's shirt, thankful he wouldn't have to turn the body over to reach his back. It took only a moment to locate the string of numbers the woman mentioned, just at the base of Alfred's spine.

"Uh…" He paused, reading it over to make sure he didn't say anything incorrectly. "A-K-1-2-3-0-7-0-4-A-F-J." Kiku said, reading the numbers over again to check for mistakes. Abruptly, the clacking on the other end halted, and for a moment, Kiku wondered if perhaps the connection was interrupted. He was preparing to ask if she was there, when she spoke up again.

"Does your PR, by any chance, go by the name Alfred?" She asked curiously, something hidden in her words.

"Um… yes?" Kiku said, as though it were up for debate. There was a frantic shuffling of papers on the other end, and a few mumbles too low and quick for Kiku to catch.

"Uh, okay…." She said, her demeanor quickly becoming flustered. "Sir, I'll need you to hang up and call a different number. Could you, perhaps, write the number down somewhere?" Slight irritation that Kiku may have felt at being transferred after finally reaching a human being was quickly overshadowed by curiosity. Finding a pen, but no paper anywhere, he was left only with the option of writing on the back of the cover of the AI handbook. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, I am," Kiku responded, writing down the number as he was relayed each digit. She double-checked, having picked up on his accent, but when certain he had it correct, she spoke again.

"Please do not pass this number to others," she said firmly. "This number is a private one and it would be inconvenient to have to change it. Again. Thank you, and have a nice day."

Before any more could be said, she hung up, and Kiku was left with a new number. Sighing, he relented and called, silently listening to the ringing of the phone. It went on for quite some time, and he was already preparing an explanation for the answering machine when the phone was picked up and a rather irate British voice spoke on the other end.

"Bloody hell, do you know what time it is?" The man said on the other end of the line. "Who in their right mind calls me at two in the god damn morning?! Is this you, Francis?" Kiku paused, glancing at the clock and realizing there must be a time difference between here and there. International calls twice in one day… great…

"Um, I apologize," Kiku said softly. "My name is Honda Kiku, and I have a robot from the Kirkland AI program that has malfunctioned."

"Great," the man mumbled sarcastically. "Now look in your handbook and find the emergency number for such cases. Problem solved, good night." Click.

Kiku stared at his phone for a long while, eyebrows knitted together. Normally he would wait for a more appropriate time to call someone who was clearly very irate, but Alfred was his friend and he couldn't simply let him stay in such a state. He dialed again.

This time, he only got a few rings in when the phone was picked up. "I told you to go find the emergency call number!" The man snapped immediately.

"This is more than that!" Kiku said quickly, before the man could hang up again. "He wasn't acting like himself. I need help, and I was sent to you."

"Well I'm clearly the wrong person, so find someone else," he said, and hung up again. Kiku, already prepared, was dialing within seconds.

"What the bloody fuck is your problem?!" The man nearly screamed at Kiku.

"A-K-1-2-3-0-7-0-4-A-F-J," Kiku relayed before any more curses could be spouted at him. "Alfred, a robot from the Kirkland AI program, has malfunctioned and nearly threw me against the floor. Something is terribly wrong and for some reason I was sent to you, so if you could _kindly _help me it would be very much appreciated!" A very long silence followed his angry statement, and briefly he wondered if he had offended the man further, as well as if he cared if he did.

"Shit…" the man mumbled, and Kiku could hear the sound of covers being thrown away and lights being turned on. "Shit this… shit…. I knew it…."

"Excuse me?" Kiku said, a bit too harshly as the man on the other end sighed.

"Alfred F Jones," the man mumbled, still a bit sleepy. "Alfred was the second AI of the Kirkland Industries AI Program, just after another given the name Matthew Williams. He has an upbeat personality and a curious nature. This is the same Alfred we're talking about, correct?"

Kiku was taken aback by this specific statement. While he had not known most of what the man had said about Alfred, the personality sounded the same. "Yes, I think so?" Kiku responded. "I didn't know he was-"

"No, likely not," the man said, sounding as though he were opening and closing cabinets. "No one was supposed to know just which robot he was. He was supposed to be integrated without trouble. Looks like I was wrong…"

"I'm sorry, but I am incredibly confused right now," Kiku said firmly. "I would very much appreciate a straight and simple answer." The man on the other end stopped doing whatever he was doing and sighed.

"Alfred was a revolution in technology. A unique and interesting character that could easily be mistaken as human," he explained. "He is one of a kind and very different from most of the AI's at our program. This means he's very much a desired target for competing companies…. I figured shipping him out would keep him the safest, especially if he was treated as any other AI. Turns out I was wrong."

"I… see…" Kiku said slowly, still feeling rather confused. "But then, who are you?"

"I'm the one who made him," the man said. "I'm Arthur Kirkland, and you may be in great danger."


	5. Chapter 5

"Please tell me what happened in full detail," Arthur asked patiently. He was much more polite than he had been before, and seemed ready to wait for Kiku to figure out the correct words to describe what happened, having dealt with people of many nationalities and understood the difficulties of describing details in a language that wasn't yours.

Kiku took his time in doing so, carefully finding the correct words to explain all the important details of Alfred's behavior, from the way he had gone in and out of focus before the event, to how his eyes had glowed violet while he grabbed Kiku and thrown him aside. He went through what happened multiple times in his head, but could see nothing else that may be important once he had finished, sitting awkwardly on his couch with his form hunched and his knees pressed together. He felt… strangely helpless.

"And you say he simply turned off?" Arthur asked to clarify, sipping what Kiku had deduced (after hearing the familiar sounds of rummaging through the kitchen and a kettle boiling) was tea. "By himself? You didn't press any buttons or say anything?" Kiku subtly noticed that, unlike most people who spoke about Alfred, Arthur addressed the robot as though he were a person, saying his name and calling him "he". Kiku felt oddly comforted by this fact.

"Yes," Kiku said with a small nod. "He was preparing to throw me, I suppose, when he shut off without warning. He's been off ever since…" His deep eyes trailed over to the still form only a few feet away. He hadn't moved in the time he had spoken with Arthur.

"I see…." Arthur pondered this a moment. "It's rather odd. If he got as far as you say, any automatic responses to hacking would have been turned off. It's unlikely it would have kicked in so late, but then, why would someone with full control over him simply shut him off?" Kiku briefly had an idea, but decided best to stay silent, lest he be viewed as juvenile or silly for such a thought. He honestly knew very little about how these machines worked, and wasn't about to offer some uninformed idea without evidence.

"What should I do know?" Kiku asked, subtly hoping he could get Alfred to work again. He didn't like the robot to be so still and lifeless for so long. It was unnerving to say the least.

"That's the question," Arthur said, partly to himself. "What should be done now? If it is already known where Alfred is, then it wouldn't be safe for either of you to stay there." He paused. "Perhaps we can get Alfred back here and you can stay elsewhere while these enemies realize he's no longer in your care. Of course, I'll be sure to give you a full refund and reimburse you for any damages and inconvenience this situation may have-"

"No," Kiku interrupted with an incredible amount of force behind his words. His heart rate had quickened and his fingers were gripping tightly to the couch.

"If this is about money or safety," Arthur said, "I can assure you we will be going about this in a different way. Though if you truly insist on taking legal action, I can't stop you. However, I will remind you that this situation is not favorable to you seeing as, no offense, I'm a very wealthy man, and this is an international affair. I will happily pay you what you need to-"

"That isn't what I meant," Kiku said, shaking his head, not quite able to place where his determination was coming from. "I will not give Alfred up. Not so soon, and not like this. Whatever you need me to do, I will do it, but I refuse to simply give Alfred away for my own safety." He paused. "I'm sorry, but that is my decision, and as long as Alfred is technically mine, I intend to keep him with me. He will not be taken so easily." There was silence that followed his statement, and it crossed his mind a few times that Arthur may be thinking of taking Alfred by force. He was indeed a powerful man, and such an action wouldn't be impossible for him, but…

"You're certain of this?" Arthur asked, more understanding of Kiku than he let on. "Up to this point, you were an unfortunate victim who had no knowledge of the situation. If you truly make this your choice, anything that happens to you, or Alfred, is your responsibility. I have no obligation to reimburse you or refund the money. Furthermore, you will not be able to stay there, and likely will have to leave your job and your home behind, as well as any family members you have there. And, once again, Alfred's safety is not guaranteed. It may all come up to nothing. Is this really your decision?"

"Yes," Kiku said, giving not a moment of hesitation. He felt more determined than he had in a long time. "I wouldn't be able to rest if I knew I hadn't tried to help. He's…. very important to me."

"I understand," Arthur said, and Kiku got the feeling he was telling the truth. "Then I'll make arrangements for you to be flown over here. Should your decision change before transportation arrives, then you may stay and my original offer stands. Anything beyond that is set, and any money or time lost is your responsibility."

"Of course," Kiku said, but already he knew his decision was final. He glanced to Alfred again. "What should I do with Alfred for now then?" Arthur paused, clearly thinking this over.

"I'm sure whoever hacked into Alfred the first time won't try again so soon," Arthur said, "so turning him on should be safe. However, should he start acting strange once more, be certain to shut him down immediately. The manual off and on switch is below the base of his neck."

Kiku slipped off the couch and crouched next to Alfred, easily locating the panel that kept the button safe from accidental pressing. "I see," he said with a nod, though he didn't want to turn him on while still speaking on the phone with Arthur. "Is there anything else?"

"No, this seems to be all," Arthur confirmed. "Should anything else come up, I will be sure to call you. A plane to take you to London should be there by…" He paused for a long while, realizing something. "Excuse me, where do you live?" Another pause. "And what was your name again?"

"Honda Kiku," Kiku said, a small smile playing on his lips, as he couldn't keep the amusement out of his voice. "And I live in Tokyo, Japan." Arthur took a rather long sip of his tea, but the slight annoyance was almost palpable from Kiku's end.

"Yes, yes, thank you Mr. Kiku," Arthur said, coughing at his slight mistake.

"Honda is my family name," Kiku clarified, finding it strange, but still amusing, just how thrown off Arthur was at his mild mistake. "Kiku is my first name."

"Of course, Mr. Honda," Arthur corrected, his irritation growing with each word, though not directly at Kiku. "My mistake. I should have realized when you said Japan that…. Nevermind." Arthur grumbled something to himself and sipped his tea once more.

"It's completely fine," Kiku said, feeling more relaxed now that a plan was made. "It happens often." No it doesn't, actually, but then again, Kiku didn't talk with foreigners that often.

"Yes, of course…" Arthur paused, then coughed again. "In any case, a plane should be there in twelve hours, at the most. If you will leave me your information, I can email you the details of which airport to go to. All will be paid for; you simply need to have a valid passport and identification, and of course any possessions that you need with you."

"Twelve hours?" Kiku asked, glancing at the clock. He had expected quite a while longer than simply that. In twelve hours he was going to leave his normal life behind.

"I would give you longer, but it would simply be too much of a risk," Arthur explained. "Should you stay behind, I can't tell what might happen…"

"I… understand," Kiku nodded. "I will be ready then."

"Good," Arthur responded. "If all goes according to plan, I will talk to you when you arrive. Goodbye." With the curt farewell, he hung up, and Kiku was left in silence. To think, just yesterday he was simply wondering if he should take Alfred on a trip to Kyoto for the weekend. Now he was just hoping Alfred would be back to normal when he switched him on.

This brought him back to where he was; sitting with his legs folded neatly under him, poised to turn Alfred back on. While Arthur had said it was unlikely anyone would try and take control of Alfred again so soon, he still was nervous to try turning him on again. He pondered for a good two minutes on what to do, when he realized he preferred a moving, happy Alfred to a stiff, lifeless one. Knowing he could probably turn him off again, should the need arise, he pressed the button and listened to the whirring of the motors in Alfred's chest start up once more.

Kiku sat back, watching closely as Alfred went through what he could only guess was a start up process. His robotic joints twitched and stretched, as though testing to make sure it was all in working order, and his eyes went in and out of focus. It all took about five minutes before the whirring of the motor calmed to a quiet hum and, finally, Alfred came back to life, eyes glowing their normal blue.

The first thing he did was scramble to his feet as though he suddenly remembered something. The suddenness of his actions caused Kiku to join him, steadying the robot as he stumbled to the side, attempting to regain balance.

"Wh…. Mr. Honda?" He asked, looking him up and down, attempting to regain his memory. He seemed flustered and a bit panicked, holding on to Kiku's shoulders to steady himself.

"Calm down…" Kiku said, trying to keep the nervousness out of his own voice. "It's all fine now. You're okay."

"What…." He paused, then shook his head. "What happened? What did I do? I…." He put a hand to his head, as though frustrated with something, closing his eyes for a long time, his jaw set in a firm line. Kiku was going to ask if he needed help and if, perhaps, it was necessary to turn him off again, lest the hacker attempt to regain control. However, he was interrupted when Alfred put both hands on Kiku's shoulders, bending down slightly in order to look directly at him. "Did I hurt you?"

Alfred's eyes bore deeply into him, and Kiku felt concern and nervousness. "N-no, Alfred-kun," he said, voice wavering. Alfred clearly didn't believe him.

"Please, Mr. Honda, tell me the truth," he urged, studying his face closely. Kiku paused for a moment, then turned away, pulling back from Alfred.

"That doesn't matter," Kiku said firmly. "For now, we have to get ready. We're going on a trip, and we need to be at the airport in twelve hours." Kiku turned from Alfred, not willing to face him as he started looking through his cabinets shelves, starting to make three piles; things he was taking, things he wasn't, and things he wasn't sure about.

He could tell Alfred was staring at him, looking for any injuries, but the bruises were all underneath Kiku's long sleeves, and the lump on the back of his head was likely not noticeable through his black hair.

Time passed silently, as Alfred lent a hand whenever Kiku needed it. At one point, Kiku left to get boxes, taking Alfred with him to be certain the robot was okay, but mostly their interactions were silent. Kiku saw Alfred open his mouth to speak multiple times, but no words passed between the two for a while. Not until Kiku found himself too short to reach the books on the top shelf. He stood on the tips of his toes and reached as far up as he could but he was still a few inches too short. Alfred had come up behind him to help, but instead of helping, froze to the spot. Kiku was wondering if something had happened when he saw that his sleeve had fallen a bit and exposed the yellow bruises on his wrist.

Pulling the sleeve back up, Kiku turned to see Alfred, who was currently very much in Kiku's personal bubble. His hand stayed on the sleeve, keeping it as far up as possible, but Alfred had already seen and was staring at Kiku with a look that didn't simply tug at Kiku's heart strings; it yanked them.

"Did I do that?" He asked, voice barely above a whisper.

"A-Alfred-kun," Kiku said, looking around for an excuse. "It was just…. I-"

"Kiku," Alfred said, surprising Kiku by using his first name, causing him to shake his head and correct himself. "M-Mr. Honda, I mean…. Please don't lie to me. Did I do that to you?" Kiku stared at him for a long while, then looked away for a moment, not wanting to lie, and not wanting to tell the truth either. Still, that gesture was all Alfred needed for clarification.

He suddenly became incredibly interested in his shoes, bangs covering his face. "I-I…." Alfred said, and Kiku was taken aback to hear the wavering in his voice. "I-I'm… how could I…?"

"Alfred-kun," Kiku said, reaching forwards gently and putting his hand on Alfred's cheek. "It wasn't your fault. You didn't know what you were doing."

"But I still hurt you!" Alfred said, looking up at him, tears soaking Kiku's hand quickly. "I-I'm supposed to make you happy and keep you safe, but I hurt you! I-if I'm not able to keep you safe then… then…" Kiku stared for a moment, then did something he could never recall doing of his own free will to anyone; he hugged him. It was strange, because of how tall Alfred was, but the robot looked so subdued that it didn't matter.

"Yes, Alfred-kun," he said softly, "I did get some bruises from the ordeal before. I can't keep that from you, and I knew you'd think the worst until I told you. However, don't ever think this was your fault or that I blame you. You were a victim as much as me, and you didn't want to hurt me. I could see that you were fighting whatever made you do that. You are strong, Alfred-kun, and I respect you for it, no matter what happened, and no matter what events happen past this." He stopped, and all seemed still, until Alfred seemed to crumble into him, crouching down so he could press his face against Kiku's shoulder and simply cry.

Kiku gently pet Alfred's head, closing his eyes as the incredibly lifelike robot's shoulders shook. A while passed, and as Alfred started to calm down, Kiku realized something.

"Oh, I haven't told you where we're going!" Kiku said, pulling away and looking at Alfred, who rubbed his eyes and looked up curiously. "We're going to see Kirkland-sama, in London!"

"A-Artie?!" Alfred sputtered, straightening up and staring at Kiku in awe. "B-but you… I thought… You get to…" His face was getting its familiar glow and a grin was growing with each second. "I get to introduce you to Arthur!" He seemed to vibrate in excitement. "Oh my God, you get to meet…." He seemed too energetic for words.

"Yes, yes!" Kiku said, smiling once more. "Actually, it seems we're not just going to be visiting, we're going to be living!" Alfred's grin somehow managed to get bigger.

"Living?!" He exclaimed. "Oh, oh! I can show you all the best places! And we can hang out, and I can see Artie, and you can see where I was made. I'm so excited, Kiku!" He paused. "Mr. Honda." He corrected.

"It's perfectly fine, Alfred-kun," he said. It had only been a few weeks, but… No, Alfred was very close to him already, close enough that he was going to move halfway across the world for him. "You may call me Kiku, if you wish." If Alfred were a volcano, he would have exploded with excitement and happiness at that point as he scooped Kiku into the air and twirled around the living room.

"Kiku!" He exclaimed. "I'm so happy!" He gave a wail of excitement, then tripped over one of the boxes and fell to the ground with Kiku on top of him.

"A-Alfred-kun!" Kiku said, sitting up and looking at him. "Are you okay?" But there was barely a moments delay before the explosive laughter returned. Kiku sighed and gave a small smile, relaxing once more and feeling the strange bouncing of the robot's abdomen with each hearty laugh. He knew that Alfred had no need for air, but it wasn't about need. Alfred was made to be alive, without technically being alive. It was about the details and the making of it. It was about the art.

Alfred was a piece of art, and that realization stayed with Kiku as he and Alfred carried everything to the airport and boarded the private jet together without hesitation. It stayed with him as they buckled up, and it stayed with him as he watched Alfred stare in awe out the window as they took off to their new home far, far away.

**A/N: I'm incredibly sorry if this sounds rude or selfish or strange, however I want to make a small request to my frequent readers. I appreciate all the views I get when I post new chapters, however, if any of you have time, reviews are incredibly appreciated! When I get many views, but no one leaves comments, I (and likely any other author in the same position) start to wonder if the chapter was lacking, either in story or in writing. I become less likely to continue the story at all as I start wondering if anyone enjoys it. Even if you leave criticism (of the constructive kind), I will at least have an idea of what my readers think and an understanding of what I need to change to make the stories and writing better! And encouragement makes me more eager to jump into it! Again, I'm incredibly sorry if this is a selfish or odd request, I just feel a bit disconnected from my audience when silence follows an update. Thank you!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I complain that I don't get enough reviews and that it makes me slow to update, and then when I do get reviews I don't update for a year. Good job me. Well, if it's any consolation, I really appreciate the reviews, and as several of you pointed out, I'm going to be slowing down a bit with the pacing. I think I tend to try and push harder when I feel like nothing big is happening, or I have plot points I want to get to faster. Also, something that likely contributed to my stopping in updates was my moving out of the house and going into college! Woo! Anyway, it's summer and while I have one class, I have a lot more time than I'm used to. I realized just how much I miss writing and how into this story I was, so I'm getting back into it. Hopefully, after this chapter, I won't wait so long for the next one, since I love to complain about authors who never update, yet I seem to love to do it. Last comment, I'm going to try and write longer chapters and get more organized with the story. I kind of know where I'm going with this, but for the most part I'm going chapter-by-chapter in a random pattern. Anyway, please enjoy!**

The room was freezing, which wasn't necessarily abnormal, if it weren't for the fact that there was a cold, looming sense of thread over the trio as they stood as close to the door as humanly possible, as if they might race out at any moment. Their eyes stayed trained on the figure sitting alone in his the giant chair of his giant office, seeming completely absent from the conversation, even as the bad news of their failed mission was relayed. No, he seemed perfectly preoccupied with the snow falling outside his window, drifting wildly in a way that was anything but gentle, as those from other reaches of the world might expect.

Still, his subordinates knew better than to take this attitude as a sign of apathy towards the situation. If anything else, it meant even more danger to them and their livelihoods as it meant he was thinking deeply on something; never a good sign after bad news.

"I see," he said finally, after the stumbled explanation was stated. He allowed those ambiguous, icy words to float in the air for a moment, and then he stood, the trio shrinking even more, defying all previous beliefs that it might be possible. The figure was huge, standing taller than any of them, which became more apparent as he stepped closer to them. "You have failed me, yes?"

The answer was already stated, but a confirmation was one none of them wanted to give up immediately. They glanced at each other, wondering who was the bravest out of them, before the smallest spoke up.

"Y-yes, sir," he said shakily, painfully aware of the three eyes trained on him. "W-we tried to get Alfred, like you asked, but it seems he was s-sold with the other robots. H-his owner kept getting in the way. W-we tried but-"

A hand shot out suddenly, long, strong fingers managing to wrap around the boy's head and tilt it upwards. His companions flinched, and the trembling in the youngest became worse. The giant man's breath seemed to be frozen, like deep inside he was cold and hard.

"Alfred belongs to me," he said, his voice low, but rumbling like thunder in the distance. "I am simply reclaiming him. You will not fail me a second time, understand?"

A squeak and a small nod was all that he responded with, trying to pull slightly from the iron grip, staring deep into the heartless eyes of the man above him, eyes seeming an unnatural shade of violet. And then he smiled a smile that never seemed to truly reach his eyes, no matter how it might seem to those unfamiliar to his ways.

"Good!" He said, releasing him mercifully, straightening back to his towering position. His black shoes clicked on the ground as he strode leisurely over to the window once more, all previous unspoken threats seeming forgotten. "We will have to come up with another plan soon. Arthur will have caught wind of these events by now, yes? For now, we will give them time to… settle down before our next move. You are dismissed."

Wasting no time at those words, the three couldn't have bolted from the room faster, leaving the large man alone in his large office.

For a moment, he didn't move from his spot, but something unconscious in himself sent his feet to his chair once more, where, in his solitude, he relaxed his stiff position, pulling his ever-present scarf over his nose and feeling the familiar fabric on his fingers and lips. A hand trailed down to a drawer and from it he produced a single sunflower made of found metal parts and acrylic paint, crudely made but filled with care.

He would not be stopped this time.

* * *

Through a deep haze, Kiku became acutely aware of three things; he was laying on something that was moving slowly, he could hear mechanical sounds and a very faint clicking noise, not spaced out like a clock, but not completely removed, and he could hear a faint, muffled vocaloid song. Also, that he didn't want to move, but he also got the sense that he had slept long enough, and there was a sense of unknown dread looming over him that he couldn't quite place.

Then it all came to him and he realized what was happening. He was currently on a plane, headed halfway across the world, to a place where the people didn't speak his native language and he had never been before. And he was currently laying against who could only be Alfred by the whirring and clicking sound, the latter of which he had never been close enough to hear before, which only meant he was currently laying his head directly over Alfred's chest.

Slowly, trying to soothe his rapid heartbeat, he opened his eyes to look up. Alfred had since gone into sleep-mode (a mode Kiku supposed kicked in when Alfred spent a long time without doing too much, once more a very inadvertently human trait), headphones over his ears but eyes shut. He was leaning back in his chair, poised to look at a large TV screen tilted towards him, which had been playing Captain America last time Kiku was awake, but now played the Pixar movie Up, which gave Kiku an idea on how long he had been asleep.

That, however, raised the question of when he turned over to lay _directly_ on Alfred's chest. Hell, his arm was half poised over Alfred's abdomen as though to hold him, an unconscious action Kiku had never done to anyone but his brother Yao many years ago. It would've had to have been a while ago as the seatbelt against Kiku's left arm had long since made an indent, meaning it had been in that odd position for quite a while.

Prompted by this fact and the sudden stopping of the song playing somewhere, Kiku dislodged himself from the embarrassing situation as slowly as possible, hoping he might be able to save a bit more dignity while he pulled out his phone.

There he met the main cause for his unconscious dread; 39 messages from Yao and 18 missed calls. Yes, Kiku probably should have had a better plan then "explain to Yao the situation through text while he's busy at work and then take a nap on the robot that is the center of this mess." Yes, the brother who panics if Kiku doesn't check in twice a week at the right time would certainly be okay with that.

With another bout of wisdom, Kiku chose to text back, but within the middle of his response to the 39 angry and flustered messages, Yao was calling again. Well, it was now or never. Taking a deep breath, he answered.

"He-"

"Are you out of your mind?!" Yao started, his high-strung voice piercing through the receiver and managing to even rouse Alfred from his rest. "You leave me a sorry excuse for an explanation about how you're dropping _everything _to move, won't respond to my messages for almost an hour, and _then_ want to _text_ me?! Did I go wrong somewhere? Did I plant the seeds for these terrible choices somewhere years ago? Do you not understand your actions young man?! Are you feeling ill? If you are not then you best start explaining before I make it so."

"Hello, Gēgē," Kiku started. His voice was calm but he had called his brother Gēgē, which meant he knew hell was going to be paid and was trying to soften the blow. "Yes, I am feeling perfectly fine. However, I am not truly able to explain the situation at the present time as I don't necessarily know all of the details myself-". Wrong answer.

"Don't know the details?!" Yao screeched. "You are moving across the world and you don't know all the details?! Are you mad?!"

"I am aware that this is a… rash decision," Kiku said, able to tell even on the phone that Yao knew it was an understatement, "but I have to do this! Alfred needs me!" This caught the attention of the one next to him, who most certainly wasn't listening at all, no sir. His eyes darted over to Kiku and stayed there, even as he tried to pull them away to look out the window.

"Again with the robot!" Yao groaned. "Kiku, I am starting to regret buying that thing in the first place. You talk about it like it's alive and now you're moving across the world because of it? I had hoped it might open up new doors for you, not this!"

"But he has! I'm going to be working for Arthur Kirkland himself! That's a new opportunity right?" Kiku prayed that this angle might lower his brother's wrath the slightest bit, and thankfully, the heavens were merciful that day. Yao let out a groaning sigh.

"Yes, it is," he grunted, "however these rash, poor choices are risky. Men like Kirkland can be dangerous, and if they aren't, the people around them are."

"Gēgē, this is something I _need_ to do!" Kiku insisted, feeling he might have the upper hand after all. "If I don't… well…" He became very aware of Alfred's conscious presence and quickly worked around saying just what he meant. "My life goes back to being boring and static."

There was a long pause, and Kiku guessed there'd be a lot more explaining to be done, but ultimately, his brother sighed again.

"This is what you want?"

"It is. Very much so." It was true. Kiku hadn't felt so strongly for something in a long time.

"Very well… But you must call me daily! And I'll be visiting you as soon as I can. Send me all the information! And make sure you're eating right! Going to foreign countries can make getting sick very easy, so exercise and wash your hands regularly! Make sure-"

"Ahhh, look we're about to land," Kiku interjected. "I have to turn off my phone!" Not necessarily a lie; they'd be landing soon.

"Hm, all right… But I love you! And be safe, okay?"

"Of course, Gēgē, I will. And I'll call you often."

A long pause, but Kiku knew better than to hang up first.

"Yao?" He asked in the silence.

"You didn't say you love me too," Yao said, sounding legitimately offended.

"I didn't think I needed to…"

"You always need to! You still aren't saying it!"

"It's something that goes without saying! I don't have to-"

"_Xiǎodì_!" Now it was serious. Kiku sighed.

"I love you too…" He grunted with as much dignity and maturity as one could, and there was a small, triumphant huff from the other end.

"There, that wasn't so hard! I'll talk to you later. Good luck!" Click.

Kiku sighed and put his phone down, before glancing at Alfred to his left, who was grinning like a mad man. Kiku's face lit up.

"I-it was just my brother!" Kiku said quickly. "He always gets so dramatic… He's a very sentimental person." Was he defending himself, or his brother?

"Oh I understand!" Alfred said knowingly, but gave Kiku a bit of mercy. "It won't be too much longer. While you were asleep, Arthur sent me a message to tell you he'd be sending someone to pick us up at the airport. He also wanted to know how much money you were bringing but I said that I didn't know and that you were comfy so I didn't want to wake you."

Ah. So Alfred _was_ awake when Kiku dozed off on him. Well…. Since that was obvious he might as well ask something he was wondering.

"What's the clicking sound in your chest?" Alfred's smile dropped. For such an innocent question, he seemed suddenly thrown off.

"The clicking sound?" He responded, feigning innocence. "In my chest? Wh…. What are you talking about?"

"Well, I was just wondering since I hadn't noticed it before…" Kiku said, not quite sure he should continue his line of questions when Alfred had such a negative response. "Nothing is damaged right?"

"No, nothing like that!" Alfred said quickly, then looked out the window, trying to find the right response. "I am just missing a part, is all. It doesn't necessarily effect my main functions. It won't harm you in any way, I promise."

Once more, Kiku was faced with a dilemma of letting Alfred keep his secrets or pushing him to answer. He rather quickly chose the former.

"Well that's good, I suppose…" He shrugged. "If it doesn't negatively affect you then I suppose it's not something to be worried about…" He glanced out the window too, seeing the cities and landscapes through the clouds they passed by. It was all so similar to his home, yet still different.

Silence fell between the two, and Kiku got the feeling that Alfred was hesitant in continuing the conversation for fear of returning to the topic of the clicking deep in his chest. Something was incredibly amiss about that topic, so Kiku decided to help him away from it.

"So you grew up here?" He asked curiously.

"Oh! Yes!" He stated quickly, a smile returning to his face. "Well, sort of. I don't necessarily grow, but the concept is there! Arthur's been working on me for years, and I've gone through several stages. When he finished me, I lived with him for a long time before he decided to ship me out with the other robots."

Kiku resisted the urge to ask just what caused him to have to get shipped out, seeing as Arthur said there was danger involved, enough so Alfred's integration was kept a secret. It probably wasn't something Alfred would like to talk about if he knew the answer.

Thankfully, they were interrupted by the announcement by the captain that they'd be landing soon. They were asked to put their seatbelts on and return to their seats, not that Kiku or Alfred had really stood up very often during the flight, despite that the jet was designed for luxury travel.

The landing and then docking of the plane went off normally, with Alfred excitedly speaking of how he wanted Kiku to meet his family, or the people he considered his family at least. Regardless of being a robot, Alfred was purely buzzing with excitement, even as they stepped off the plane and into the airport, or as they passed through security and into the streets. It just seemed to grow.

It overflowed when Alfred saw who was picking them up, someone clearly close to the robot. A man, shorter than Alfred but taller than Kiku with blonde hair in a ponytail and a light beard on his chin, stood by the entrance waiting for what could only be them, as when he saw Alfred he smiled pleasantly. It was bright, but nothing compared to the grin that grew onto Alfred's face when he saw the man, accompanied by an excited wail and a lunge forwards.

They embraced (or, Alfred smothered the man with his hug and the man became caught between returning the hug and trying not to suffocate from the choking hold) as Kiku calmly approached, watching the scene. The man Alfred hugged, upon closer inspection, seemed a bit older than Kiku. He didn't yet have grey hair, but he definitely had the beginnings of wrinkles at the corner of his lips, and his eyes seemed to hold a weariness that was always present. Not necessarily a tired look that meant he was facing hardships, but rather one that was left over from some great issue he would never quite shake. Like scars in the form of shadowed eyes.

Still, he seemed warm and loving to Alfred despite this, and when he was finally released, he looked him over like a parent might their child after a long time apart.

"You are looking well!" He said. Through his knowledge of English, Kiku supposed the man had an accent. French maybe? "How have you been? I haven't been able to speak with you in so long!"

"I've been good! I've been better than good, actually!" Alfred grinned a bit wider, if that was possible. "I've missed you though! How are you?"

"Ah, things have been quieter since you left," the man sighed. "Arthur's been his usual self though. A bit more mopey, but mostly the same. Though, Matthew should be coming back in a few days!"

"What?!" Alfred's voice boomed and he grabbed onto his friend's arms. "You're kidding! Mattie?!"

"The paperwork is being signed and the terms are being discussed," he nodded. "We figured it would be best if you both came back to stay with us for now. Given the current state of affairs…" His smile fell a bit, but the topic caused him to look at Kiku. "Ah, you must be Mr. Honda, non?" Through the tone of voice, Kiku guessed that he hadn't just heard the name in passing; there had been discussions about him.

"Yes," Kiku responded, feeling suddenly very self-conscious. "I hope I won't be disrupting anything with my actions."

"No, on the contrary, you may have helped speed up this process by coming instead of causing a fuss," he responded, a reassuring smile on his face. "The same can't be said for Alfred's brother, but at least you have been rather helpful."

Kiku nodded as though he understood, but he really didn't. Alfred had a brother? That was the main question in his head, but he pushed it aside when the man suddenly bowed with a bit too much grandeur.

"Where are my manners," he lightly scolded himself, "my name is Francis Bonnefoy. Welcome to London!"

"Oh!" Well that was unexpected. "It's… nice to meet you. And thank you?"

Next to him, Alfred chuckled softly. "Kiku's easily embarrassed, you might not want to do that in public," he said, pulling a rather surprised expression from Kiku. It was true, yes, but for Alfred to state such a thing out loud…!

"Ah, of course," Francis said, straightening up, but this knowledge was likely to be kept somewhere for a later time. "Well then, shall we be off?"

Thus, the trio climbed into the car, Kiku, after an odd debate with Alfred as to who would sit where (Alfred insisted that Kiku should sit up front and Kiku insisted Alfred should), they both ended up seated next to each other in the back. Through the city they drove, and once more an odd sense of familiarity and foreignness hit Kiku. It was both like his home and different. Of course, there was the obvious differences, like the city having far fewer Japanese people, different shops, and the odd red, double-decker busses, but still he saw the same forms of advertisements, the same types of people, and the same lives being lived. It was an odd feeling to say the least.

The buildings started to become a bit sparser as they drove, and eventually they found themselves on an incredibly large property. They drove parallel to a long fence surrounding a huge building reaching up several stories with a large sign on the sign reading, in beautiful script, "Kirkland Industries", until they reached a security gate, where Francis, upon a single glance, was admitted.

Once more, Alfred's excitement was palpable, even without looking at the robot next to him. Once parked, Kiku could hardly keep up with him as he shot out of the car and ran up to the towering building. And there, at the front, stood a figure wearing an immaculate dark suit and the same tired look as Francis. By how he carried himself, it was easy to guess that the man standing in front of him, the man Alfred took down with his death-hug, was Arthur Kirkland himself.

Kiku took a careful breath several feet away, not quite sure he should approach yet as Arthur and Alfred greeted each other in an odd way. Alfred knew these people. He knew them very well. He grew up here, in a sense, and Arthur was family. Kiku felt incredibly alien.

Kiku had only known Alfred for a few months, and here he was intruding on the family Alfred had here? He should have turned around the second he got the airport in Tokyo. He should have taken the money and sent Alfred on his way. He should have ended everything when Arthur asked for Alfred back. He should have-

A hand settled on his shoulder, and he unconsciously hopped to the side. Francis smiled softly at him.

"Alfred cares for you," he said suddenly.

"Excuse me?" Kiku sputtered, taken aback.

"Alfred cares for you," he repeated. "I can see it. He looks at you like you're part of the family already. You're important to him."

"Why are you-"

"If you left now, Alfred wouldn't stop you, but you'd break his heart." Francis looked towards Alfred, who sat next to Arthur on the ground, neither having gotten up quite yet. Alfred was talking quickly, happy to see the man who created him again, and Arthur, despite his annoyed expression, was happy to see him too.

"There's so much I don't know about him," Kiku sighed. "I hardly know him, yet I can see there's a history in him I know nothing about."

"Yes, there is." Francis's smile turned a bit bitter. "There's a long story behind him. Him and many people, including me and Arthur. But whether you know the answers or not, would that change anything? How you feel about him?"

Kiku got a suspicious feeling that Francis was implying more than he let on about him and Alfred, but chose to let that slide in lieu of thinking on his words. "I suppose not. No, I don't think anything Alfred told me could change how much I care for him." Was he really spilling his feelings to one virtually a stranger to him?

"Good. Maybe he'll tell you on his own all his secrets one day, but be here for him today, right now. Things aren't going to be easy for anyone with the dangers present, but he needs you here."

Kiku nodded, and as he watched, Alfred turned towards him and smiled brighter. Alfred needed him. That was quite an unusual thought, but as he pondered it, he supposed he needed Alfred too.

**A/N: A bit longer than usual since I've been a butt and not updated. I'll probably plan out some more chapters and try and keep things moving! Wish me luck, and also, critiques and comments are very much welcome! Thank you for reading!**


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